A judge says an Atlantic City casino does not have to pay $1.5 million won by a group of gamblers who realized the cards had not been shuffled.

A Superior Court judge ruled Friday that the Golden Nugget Atlantic City does not have to redeem the nearly $1 million in chips still held by the gamblers, and said the casino can recover more than $500,000 it already paid them.

A lawyer for the casino's parent company, Landry's Inc., had no immediate comment. An attorney for the gamblers also declined to comment.

The judge ruled that because the cards had been unshuffled, that made the game of mini-baccarat in April 2012 illegal under state casino rules.

Fourteen players racked up $1.5 million in winnings over 41 straight hands.Associated Press